The larvae of Zophobas Morio – commonly known as the black beetle – is a type of larva that grows by feeding on wheat bran and other cereals. These are animals that if they remain isolated follow their ideal life cycle, becoming cocoons and then beetles, while if they are bred in large groups, larvae remain. They are also known as “Superworms” → because they are able to eat and digest polystyrene.

This was discovered by Chris Rinke, a researcher at the University of Queensland in Australia, with a team of scientists from the School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience. Through an experiment with several groups of larvae it emerged that the group fed with polystyrene foam not only survived, but increased in weight. This means that the larvae, thanks to the help of intestinal enzymes inside them, have drawn energy from polystyrene, a waste in itself very difficult to dispose of. It is estimated to degrade over a period of about 100 years in sunlight, while beetle larvae are able to dispose of it in a few days. This is fundamental in the study of alternative disposal solutions, faster and more sustainable, considering that every year we produce 300 million tons of plastic pollution.

Therefore, thanks to the technique called “metagenomics” it is possible to analyze the microbes → contained in the intestines of these larvae, genetically encoded and involved in the demolition of polystyrene. This allows, therefore, to replicate these enzymes on a large scale. By exploiting, in fact, the mechanical shredding followed by enzymatic biodegradation, it is possible to obtain real plastic waste disposal plants. In addition, the degradation products that are generated can be used to create other compounds such as bioplastics, thus enabling a virtuous circular process.